Ice and water boat



1931. M. c. KNIGHT 1,816,118

ICE AND WATER BOAT Original Filed may 21, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 28, 1931. M. c. KNIGHT ICE AND WATER BOAT Original Filed May 21. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N \Am I 1| um. I N

\1. n x w I TTo' 535 1 theylakes and rivers are frozen over.

Patented July 28, 1931 PATENT Face UNITED STATES MORRIS o. KNIGHT, or ALEXANDRIA BA New YORK Ion AND WATER noA'r Application filed. May 21, 1928, Serial This invention relates to a newand improved combined ice and water vehicle. a great many parts of the country duringa considerable portion of each year it is very desirable to have avehicle which can be mechanically propelled on the surface of ice as during a considerble period of the yogi t other periods of the year and in the same localityitis necessary to have vehicles which can bepropelledon and through the water.

At those sections of the country where the water courses are frozen over during certain portions of the year there is a time at the be innin of winter and also a time at the ,end .of winter when the water courses are only partially frozen over; When this condition exists where part of a water course is covered with ice and where anotherpart is not covered with ice or is covered only with ice which is not sufiiciently thick and strong to support the weight of a vehicle, a

vehicle which is constructed for movement over ice only 1s lmpract cal as is a vehicle which is constructed for propulsion on the water only.

The condition just described where a water course is partially frozen and partially not usually exists for a considerable length of time in the aggregate during each year with the result that vehicles can not be used *ure2.

to cross such water courses and there is a considerable time when direct, communica- A tion from shore to shore can not be had. I 7

am aware that vehicles have been constructed for propulsion on ice and also that vehicles have been constructed for propulsion on ice in which the motive power consisted of a mechanically drivenair propeller.

I am also aware that boats for use onthe waterhave heretofore been propelled by air propellers. I am also aware that boats which were primarily designed for use in water have been equipped with runners so that they could be propelled on the ice but so far as I am aware no vehicle has ever been constructed which could, without any mechanical changes, be used for transportation whether fon'icejor on the water or which could, without any interruption of its forward move- No. 279,484. Renewed May 29, 1931.

ment, pass from the water onto the ice and vice Versa.

g The advantage of a vehicle which can be used on water courses irrespective of whether they are covered with ice or partially covered with ice or on which no ice is present is obvious for it furnishes an uninterrupted means of transportation from shore to shore of a water course irrespective of the presence or absence of ice, and the main object of my invention is to construct a device which may be propelled on the water or on the ice.

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is section on line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig 7 ure 2.

Figure 5' is a section on line 55 of Fig i. My device consists of a hollow substantially rectangular body 1 having its bottom portion .curved upwardly at the forward end asindicateld at a in Figure 2. The

base on body portion -l' is preferably made of strong construction and I have here shown a bottom plate 2 with a plurality,

in this case shown as sixteen, of transversely extending ribs .3 with a second or false bottom 4 superimposed on the upper faces of ribs 3,. On the central portion of the top of body ,,1 provide a vertically extending case or cabin 5+ preferably having windows as 6 on the side, front and back. For a purpose hereinafter to be described I provide a Hat top -7 extending from the rear end of cabin 5 to the rear end of body 1 to form an open deck rear end 12 of the vehicle.

-8. On the opposite longitudinal edges of the under portion of body 1 I provide parallel spaced runners 9 and -1l) preferably made of steel or iron. and of a thickness suflicient to raise the under portion of the vehicle from the ice. Runners 9 and .-10' are also preferably narrow so as to minimize the friction between them and the ice. As perhaps may best be seen from Figure 3 the front end 11- of the vehicle is wider than the rear end 12- so that, when the vehicle is traveling through ice which is not thick enough to sustain its weightso that the vehicle breaks through the ice and makes a path for itself in the water the path made by the front end 11- will be wider than the width of the rear end l2,to permit lateral movement of the rear end for the purpose of guiding it in the desired direction. 7

On the rear deck 8- of the vehicle I position an airplane type engine 13 having the usual air'propeller 1%'and supported in position by an appropriate framework as l5-. T hepropeller 14L is positioned so that its thrust on the air is toward the rear of'the vehicle so that when the propeller is revolving it will force the vehicle forward. Immediately in the rear of propeller -14 I provide an air rudder 16 having its top end journaled in a bracket 17- and having its lower end journaled in a bearing -18 afixed to the center of the The rudder "-16-. has affixed, adjacent its rear end,. opposed steering cables 19 and 20-. Cable 1 9 extends laterally from rudder '16 into a sheave 21 positioned at one end of rear end -'12 of the vehicle. Cable 19 passes from sheave -21 through an aperture -22 into the vehicle and thence to a position adjacent the forward end -11 where it passes around a sheave -23-'a-nd thence to adrum 24 jour- 'naled in brackets -25 and -26- .posi-.

'tioned on false bottom 4-V.

Similarly cable 20 passesaround a sheave 27 .and

ithence to a position adjacent the forward end -'11 to and around a sheave 28- which is positioned in opposed relation to sheave -23' and from sheave -28 to and around drum 1 r I The rear end of drum 2 l is provided j with a'bevel gear .29 in mesh with a sec- 0nd bevel gear -S0 afiixed to the end of I 'a'steering post 31' journaled in bracket 26-.. The rear end of steering post 31- carries a steering wheel -32-. It will be understood that the rotation of steering wheel -32 through steering post 3l- 5 and bevel gears and 29 will transmit rotary motion to drum 24 and 'will cause cables 19 and -20 to be either wound on or unwound from drum -24- depending upon the direction of ro- '35 secured to a shaft 36 journaled on a side 37 of body 1. Shaft 36 has on its inner end a crank arm 38. The length of drag arm in relation toits position in side 37.is such that when it is in the lowered position it will extend beneath the runner 10 and contact with the ice on which the vehicle is moving. In the forward end of the vehicle I provide a laterally extending shaft 39 having one end j ournaled in a bearing -4l0 positioned in side 37-. The other end of shaft 38 is journaled in a bearing ff1 positioned on bracket -26. A crank arm 42 is secured to shaft -39- and is connected by link 43 with .crank arm 1 38, link -4l3 being indicated in dotted lines on Figure 3. I also provide a pivoted lever -l4 which is connected by a link 45- to a crank arm l6 which is secured to shaft 39 so that when the lever 4l is moved about its pivot it will cause the rotation of 38 will rotate shaft 36- and move drag arm 85- up or down as desired.

The opposed drag 34 is of similar construction and is journaled in side 4L7+ in a bearing 48 and is connected by a link 49 (shown in dotted lines on Figure 2) to a crank arm -50- secured to a shaft 51 which has one end j ournaled in bearing 41- and the other end journaledin a bearing 52 positioned in side -47. A

'lever 53 is connected through a link and crank arm, not shown, to shaft 51 for imparting rotary motion thereto, such link and crank arm connection being similar to the connection described for lever 44- By using either or both of levers 44 and -53- drags 33 or 3401 both may be brought into contact with the surface of the ice to assist in retarding the forward movement of body 1. I i I also provide in body l a plurality, in this case shown as eight, of seats 54.

It will be understood that the materials of which my device is constructed may be varied as desired as may be the particular reinforcing means used to make the structure sufliciently strong to withstand any shock which it may receive in use. It will also be understood that the type and design of the motor to be used on my structure may be varied dependingupon the rapidity with which it is siderable degree without departing from the spirit of my invention, for altho I have shown and described a specific structure and form and association of parts as an exemplification of an embodiment of my invention I do not desire to restrict myself to the exact size, shape and arrangement of parts as various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a combined ice and water vehicle, a body having an upwardly curving square front end and a narrower rear end, an air propeller mounted on the rear of the body,

' means for rotating the air propeller, an air rudder mounted on the rear of the body, means for pivoting the rudder in its support, and opposed shoes extending approximately the full length of the under side of the body.

2. In a combined ice and water vehicle, a body having an upwardly curving square front end and a narrower rear end, an air propeller mounted on the rear of the body, means for rotating the air propeller, an air rudder mounted on the rear of the body,

means for pivoting the rudder in its support,

opposed shoes extending approximately the full length of the under side of the body, a crank arm pivotally mounted in one side of the body adjacent the rear end thereof for movement below and above the under surface of the body, means for pivoting the crank arm, a second crank arm pivotally mounted on the other side of the body for movement below and above the under surface of the body, and means for pivoting the last mentioned crank arm.

4. In a combined ice and water boat, a body substantially rectangular in form and having a flat bottom curved upwardly at its forward end, a runner rigidly aflixed to each longitudinal edge of the bottom of the body for substantially the full length thereof, an air propeller mounted at the rear of the body and behind the center of gravity thereof, means for imparting rotary motion to the propeller, an air rudder pivotally mounted on the body and positioned to be in the path of movement of the air displaced by the propeller, means for pivoting the air rudder, a crank arm pivotally mounted in one side of the body adjacent the rear end thereof for movement below and above the under surface of the body, means for pivoting the crank arm, a second crank arm pivotally mounted on the other side of the body for movement below and above the under surface of the body, and means for pivoting the last mentioned crank arm.

5. In a combined ice and water vehicle, a body having an upwardly curving square front end and a narrow rear end, an air propeller mounted on the body, means for rotating the air propeller, an air rudder mounted on the body, means for pivoting the rudder in its support, opposed shoes extending approximately the full length of the under side of the body, and means, operable at will, for contacting the surface of the ice and adapted to retard the movement of the vehicle.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this th day of May, 1928.

MORRIS C. KNIGHT.

of the under face of the body adjacent one side thereof, a second shoe extending longitudinally of the under surface of the body adjacent the opposite side thereof, an air propeller mounted on the top of the body adjacent the rear thereof, means for rotating "the air propeller, an air rudder pivotally mounted on the body adjacent the air propeller and in the rear thereof, means for pivoting the air rudder in its supports, a crank arm pivotally mounted in one side of the body adjacent the rear end thereof for 

